Another Grain of Sand
by LegendaryStrawberry
Summary: AU. This is a short alternate ending to the Bleach Universe. Starts in chapter 684. A bit rough around the edges, but I think it's fun.


Ywach reformed from a puddle of shadow and eyes. Splinters of white began to stretch and grow across the fabric.

"I don't know how your Kyoka Suigetsu interfered, but it will not cloak my eyes again you mere piles of dust." Ywach yelled and shattered both blades. The pitch black core of Ichigo's bankai survived the assault.

"Will you still attack a god with a mere splinter Kurosaki Ichigo? Do not strike at me again or I will be forced to cut you down, permanently." He turned his attention to his master work.

"No, I'm going to take you down with this splinter." Ichigo smirked.

"Ichigo, that's crazy!" Renji called out, but stopped as Rukia put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at his eyes, Renji. He's going to win. I don't know how, but he's going to win." Rukia looked up at the form of Ichigo. He was tattered and frayed, but unbroken.

"You must be at your wit's end. It would be amusing if it wasn't so pathetic. You cackle like you've already won with that empty blade." Ywach adjusted his . The splinters had started to grow into stiff streaks of white.

"Empty is exactly the point. It wasn't me who cackled." Ichigo's smile grew larger.

Flashback

As Ywach drained Ichigo's power, a last call slipped into his mind.

"Chase after me partner." a familiar voice echoed.

End Flashback

"One more cut should do it." he whispered to Aizen.

"I see." Aizen chuckled to himself.

Ichigo charged at Ywach with his broken blade and restored resolve.

"I warned you, child." Ywach turned and slashed the Ichigo in front of him in half.

"Since when were you under the misapprehension that Kurosaki Ichigo was in front of you?" Aizen asked after he cut down another false image.

"How many do you see with those countless eyes of yours Ywach?" Aizen said as hundreds of copies of Ichigo from different times in his past flicker in and out of existence, while Ichigo strides forward and slashes Bach from behind.

Bach reeled back away from him, regenerating the wound that now turned white. White veins started to spread from the wound more quickly than before.

.

"I should have been able to see that strike coming even if Aizen blinded me to the cause. What have you done, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ywach started to panic a little, though he tried to conceal it.

An evil cackle resonated within Bach's mind. The eyes begin to shut as the white began to spread over his whole body.

On a hill overlooking the fight Ishida took up a position above the battle. His fingers let the arrow slip from his bow with a measured exhale.

"If I can't see you I can still strike you down insolent pups!" Ywach yells wildly. Ywch sends up countless waves of strikes from the ground. They miss Aizen and Ichigo as they dart out of the way into the sky. The strikes knock the arrow off course.

"So the traitor is here too. You'll share their fate!" Bach took a shot at Uryuu before Aizen could conceal him, but it misses.

"What?!" Bach screams in confusion.

The cackle from before grows to a deafening din within Ywach's mind. His whole is almost entirely consumed by the white stiff shell of material similar to the composition of a hollow mask.

"What have you done to me!?" His fingers feel like they are encased in stone. A mask begins to form on Bach's chest.

"So that's where you want it?" Ichigo strikes forward at full tilt, his black blade glistening with power.

Ichigo stabbed the blade into Bach's chest through the mask. Veins of white trickled up the blade into Ichigo's arm. A bright light shone and Ichigo reemerged from it with a new blade similar to the shape of his first bankai. The manji tsuba was expanded much like after his Dangai training. The hilt was cross wrapped with alternating black and white cloth while the blade itself was pitch black except a stark white edge and the broken chain that now terminated in a Quincy pentacle. His Bankai cloak itself was fully restored in all black except white sleeves.

"Welcome back." Ichigo looked down at the blade.

Ichigo is drawn into his inner world.

"Well, the king is pretty pathetic without his horse." The hollow smiled smugly.

"Oh, and the old man grabbed something on the way out." His inner hollow pointed upward.

"Old man." Ichigo looked up to see Old Man Zangetsu toss him a crown.

"It's time we finished this Ichigo." Zangetsu called down from his perch.

"Right" Ichigo responded with a solemn resolve.

Ichigo returned from his inner world to find Bach making a mad dash at him, having been knocked back and clear of the hollow shell by the restoration of Ichigo.

"Usurper!" Bach threw a punch, but missed. Ichigo responded by dropping him with a strike to the gut with the hilt of Zangetsu.

"Give it up Bach," Ichigo began, but was interrupted by Aizen beheading the wounded father of Quincy in one quick stroke.

"He was powerless! There was no need for that!" Ichigo yelled and Aizen jumped back, but quickly regained his calm demeanor.

"You're much too soft hearted for that crown Ichigo. Perhaps I should take it from you." Aizen's voice gained a malicious force.

"Aizen!" Ichigo prepared for another fight, clutching Zangetsu tighter.

"Just kidding… for now." He reached out his hand and created a rip in the fabric of reality.

"Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven." He stepped into the garganta and quickly sealed it behind him.

As the garganta sealed, Ichigo felt a strain across his entire body like a balloon filled to bursting. He fell to one knee.

He was drawn once again into his inner world.

"What's going on Old Man?" he asked, straining as the world started to crack around him.

"Your power, Bach's power, and the Soul King's power were never meant to be contained in one vessel. We need to transfer some of the power before this world completely crumbles along with the outside world."

"I understand," Ichigo awoke.

"Kurosaki!" Uryuu looked concerned as he skidded down from his sniping position atop the pile of rubble.

"Ichigo." Rukia and Renji finally caught up with him.

"I'm alright." Ichigo smirked and lifted himself back up with the help of his friends.

"Like hell you are." Rukia readjusted his weight on her shoulder.

"I just need to give you some of this power, Uryuu. Bach's power and the soul king power are ripping me apart. You're the only one I can trust with it." He panted, clutching at his chest.

"You're as reckless as ever!" Uryuu grabbed Zangetsu's blade with a smirk.

"Sorry, it's the only way I know how to be." The power flowed into the last of the Quincy. He shuddered for a moment, but the powers settled in.

Ichigo felt relieved of much of the strain, but the Soul King's power still was weighing on him. The fine balance of his soul was incompatible with its massive invasive strength.

"Now, I just need to get this Soul King's power out too." His legs steadied under him.

"Seek out Ukitake. I'll deal with the remains of the Sternritter." Uryuu casually remarked raising his glasses as one of the almighty eyes that was now forming started to look back toward the portal.

"Yeah, he seems like someone we can trust." Ichigo set off for the fading portal with the rest not far behind.

Ukitake was on the brink of death when Ichigo arrived in the Soul Palace.

"No, captain…" Rukia looked at her fallen commander. His skin was deathly pale.

"Don't worry." Ichigo laid Zangetsu on his shoulder and started to pump the power into Ukitake. As the power began to course into him, eyes flickered behind their shades and Ukitake regained consciousness.

"Ichigo… Rukia…" The once white hair became dark again as his health returned.

"Not so fast, Captain." Rukia tried to prevent him from standing up, but as he placed his hand on her shoulder, she knew he was going to be just fine from the immensely strong pulse his mere touch pushed out.

"How?" he asked incredulously, looking down at his glowing hands.

"My power and the Soul King's don't get along." Ichigo said as he felt the strain ease and his powers stabilize once more.

"You mean I…"

"Yeah, sorry for forcing it on you so suddenly." Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Thank you, Kurosaki." The power of the Soul King flowed over him and the world began to find its center once more.

Six Years Later…

"I'm home!" Karin yelled as she stepped inside. Her university soccer uniform, once blue and yellow striped was now covered in grass and dirt stains. As she kicked her shoes to the side of the door, the phone began to ring.

"Could you get that please, Karin?" Yuzu whipped around the corner with some medical supplies. It must have been an emergency given that her nursing study materials were still open at the reception desk.

"Sure thing." She casually picked up.

"Hello?" She answered. A familiar voice came over on the phone line.

"We'll find a way to be there." She replied, as a small smile crossed her lips.

"Come on you dirt bags. You've got more than that in you!" Tatsuki yelled as her martial arts championship belt hung over the Arisawa Dojo clock.

"Yes, sensei!" the group shouted at once and redoubled their efforts.

The phone near the front desk began to ring. She slung her body over the counter and grabbed the handset from the charger.

"Arisawa Dojo, Tatsuki speaking." She wiped her brow with a towel she kept off to the side.

"Took you long enough." She laughed.

"Club Kojima," MIzuiro answered, his fingers flowing over a ledger, checking for irregularities. A small nostalgic smile rippled across his face.

"I'll tell him. See you then." He clicked the phone down. Walking to the window overlooking the club floor he watched Keigo set the crowd into uproarious laughter.

"Has it been that long?" He looked up at the clock absent mindedly.

In the dimly lit backstage, Chad slips his ringing phone out of his pocket, flipping it open. The roaring of laughter and applause can be heard quite well in the wings.

"I gotta take this." He mumbled to the annoyed guitarist.

"Make it quick, we got show time in five minutes." The same grumbled doing some last minute checks on equipment.

"Yeah," Chad ducked around a corner and slipped his pick in his pocket.

"Mmh," Chad smiled slightly.

Finishing the call, Chad headed back to meet with his band mates.

"Noriaki Bakery" Orihime brightly replied. The voice on the other end gave her a shock.

"Yes! I'll be there with bells on!" She shouted a bit too loudly.

"What did I tell you about taking personal calls on company time?" An elderly woman scolded her, though not too harshly.

Two pairs of waraji clicked along Seireitei's polished streets, their lieutenant armbands gently swaying with each step.

"Long time no see Ichigo" Renji called to him from the corner.

"Yo" Ichigo called back and they began walking together.

"Heard a whole gaggle of humans are coming up. Lieutenant Ise must have had a fit." Renji laughed.

"It was the Captain-Commander's idea, so she didn't really have much to say about it." Ichigo indicated the first division headquarters with his thumb.

"I guess it has been a while." Renji looked up at the cerulean sky.

"I'm going to meet them if you wanna tag along." Ichigo readjusted his swords in his belt.

Zangetsu now had a sealed form consisting of a tachi and wakizashi. The Tachi hilt had white wrappings to match the color of the scabbard. The wakizashi had black wrappings and a matching scabbard. The guards on the two were compliments. The black wrapped blade had a Quincy pentacle designed into the circular guard while the white had teeth filling in the gaps in the pentacle.

"Might be fun. I've got nothing to do until the meeting anyway. I was just going to wander around for a bit." Renji smiled and stretched as they set upon the path.

"When's the last time you saw them?" Renji asked

"Graduation a couple years ago, but we keep in touch when we can." He replied, peering at the distance for signs of the gate.

"Still can't believe you blew up the kido training fields." Renji belly laughed.

"Mr. Onabara didn't teach me anything about controlling reiatsu before chucking me out there!" Ichigo jabbed Renji in the side.

"Ha Ha… Well, I guess you picked it up eventually." Renji straightened himself.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu called to him as his friends, family and even the residents of the Urahara Shop emerged from the gate.

The story pans back up to the Captain Commander's office as its current occupant looked out over the Seireitei.

"I think you spoil him too much Captain." Ise adjusted her glasses.

"In a time of peace we can afford to be a little indulgent Ise, besides I hate having unpaid debts." Kyoraku solemnly replied, tipping his hat down over his eyes.

"The sake vendor begs to differ…" Ise quipped.

"At any rate, the ceremony is starting soon." He picked himself up off his chair and walked toward the door.

We cast our view back in time to the rubble and chaos of a post war Soul Society.

"Thank you for your assistance with the rescue efforts. Soul Society owes you a great debt today." Kyoraku said as the gate behind him started to glow faintly.

"It was nothing. We couldn't just stand by and let the world crumble." Ichigo exclaimed proudly.

"Please forgive an old indebted man another request of you." Kyoraku tipped his hat back down slightly and placed his thumb gingerly on the pommel of his sword.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked curiously, but enthusiastically.

"Ichigo, you may not return to the world of the living. I'm sorry." His right foot slipped back as he calmly laid down the news.

"What?!" Ichigo yelled and his reiatsu started to get heavier.

"Listen to me for once in your life and hear him out!" Rukia yelled and grabbed his forearm which was instinctively reaching for Zangetsu. Ichigo relaxed his stance.

"I know this isn't easy, but if you return you will endanger every person you care about. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually it will come back to hurt somebody you care about." He placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder as the young man started to sit down on a piece of rubble behind him.

"I gained this power for their sake." He looked down at his hand.

"I know." Kyoraku let up on the tension in his reiatsu.

"What will I do now?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, that's really up to you. You could just wander the Soul Society. There's a certain appeal to that, but something tells me that it wouldn't suit you." Captain-Commander Kyoraku looked up to the sky and sat beside him.

"Of course, you could put that power to good use in the Court Guard Squads. You could protect a whole mountain-load of souls that way."

"That sounds more like me." His depression started to lift a little.

"I thought so…" Kyoraku laughed gently.

Outside the Captains' Meeting Hall, Rukia fidgeted with her uniform while Ichigo leaned against a nearby wall.

"Why are you so nervous? You've basically been doing the job since the war." Ichigo said as he crossed his arms.

"It's being made official though. Maybe you'll understand one day." Rukia answered, straightening her hair a little.

"Already growing tired of your lieutenant, Captain?" Renji laughed as he slipped into the foyer.

"I appreciate you both coming, but I'll be fine. Besides, don't you two have somewhere to be as well?" Rukia added with a smirk.

"Come on Ichigo, there are two ceremonies today." Renji grabbed Ichigo by the scruff of the uniform and dragged him off.

"I can walk on my own!" Ichigo straightened his uniform a little smacking Renji lightly on the shoulder.

Rukia laughed and again turned her attention back toward the door.

"Will the new Captain please enter?" A voice called to her from inside.

"Yes, sir!" Rukia replied with a heartfelt smile.

Across the way, Renji and Ichigo approached the lieutenant meeting room. The room was quiet and no light escaped from around the door.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Ichigo asked, starting to pull the door open.

"Congratulations!" The group shouted. The room exploded with noisemakers, and the cheers of the lieutenants gathered along with friends and family. While the room was more modest than the captains' meeting hall, it made up for it with a warmth and camaraderie that filled it to the brim.

And so the blade swung down… and shattered the millstone.


End file.
